Sutton Foster-Led SWEET CHARITY!

Hello, I'm Richard Ridge for Broadway World

Two-time Tony Award winner Sutton Foster is returning to the stage in the new group's new production of the classic

Neil Simon, Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields musical, Sweet Charity, under the direction of Lee Silverman

And we stop by the rehearsal room to talk to Sutton and meet the company. So here we are, Sweet Charity, tell me

Yeah, well, you know, Sutton and Lee had this incredible idea about how they wanted to, you know, look at the show

and it felt so new group to me and here we are. I love how you do shows

People come to give you a hip, cool idea and you're like, yeah, let's go with it. Yeah, you know, when something

I mean, if they have a compelling argument as to why it works, and they certainly had a compelling argument

and helping them put it together, it's obviously, I'm very happy. You know, I'm watching sort of what's happening

It feels very new group. You know, it's so interesting to see a show like this

so up close and personal, you know, in that in your face sort of way

which is, of course, what we're known for. And I guess, like, No Seed is going to be more than five rows away from the stage

So everybody's going to be, you know, that with it. I think it's going to be really cool

Living in the world of Sweet Charity, what's it been like for you? It's fantastic

It's such a wonderful story. It's a huge dance piece, as you know

And even in this version, this really scaled-down version that we're doing, there's just as much dance

And what it means is that the entire cast dances and they do everything

It's really wonderful. Working with Sutton has been a dream. She just brings so much

From day one, she brings character and intention to the dancing. So we're constantly figuring out, oh, would your character do this

Would your character do that move Or would she choose to do that move or choose to do a move more like this so it been a real lesson for me and a real great experience and also working with Lee for the first time who is so story driven and so character driven I learning so much it just

been a great experience and we really feel like the virtue of this production is going to be

story and character because we don't have the 28 people we don't have the crazy big stage we don't

have the giant Broadway house. We're all about character stories, stripped down 12 people

who is Charity, what's happening to her, and telling the story in a way that we hope will feel

a total homage to everything that's come before, the heart, the comedy, the amazing dancing

and also a way you've never seen Charity. And the cast, you streamed it down to how many

12. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's amazing. They're doing triple, quadruple duty. I mean

it is just incredible. And the way that they all work together, the way that they

have banded together to understand the vision of what we're trying to create. I mean, we need people

who are killer triple threats, quadruple threats, like it is just amazing

Well, what's great about it is I have never seen the show ever. I just heard about it and Oscar

was described to me and I read it and it's amazing. It's such a beautiful role because we

as we discussed earlier, we all have an Oscar in us. Right

So good intentions, good intentions. Your leading lady, Sutton Foster. Sutton. Last time I saw Sutton, I was on a flat table dead

as the monster in Young Frankenstein. And I'd look up and there's Sutton with blonde hair

And I was like, yeah, love that. So now... It's a little different now, right

Now I'm upright and I'm looking at Sutton going, yeah. Ah oh oh oh You play how many characters I playing three characters which are normally played by three different actors So it isn like it built into the track that it like normally

The same actor plays different people. So for me, that's a bit terrifying, but also really exciting to bring truth and humanity to three different types of people

and three different characters and really see how different and how similar they are

and find a way to really bring that across to the audience. What's been the coolest aspect so far with working on this show

Sutton Foster. Come on. What's been your biggest pinch-me moment so far in rehearsal

Sweating next to Sutton Foster. I mean, I'm like there and she's there and we're like holding hands

and she's like, wow, this number's really hard. I'm like, yeah, it's really hard. I mean, Sutton Foster is everything to me when I moved to New York

So like to stand next to her and to she texts me on my phone sometimes

It's like the best. It's so it's like the best. All right. Favorite pinch me moment so far in rehearsal for you has been what

There's got to be something better than this. Yeah, I remember I saw it on the schedule or something one day and I went home and I just

YouTubed the number from the movie and I just started to cry. I just, you know, I'm so excited to get to sing and dance this number and with Emily and Sutton too

I mean, they're amazing. I think the three of us are such a magical trio

Emily was like saying, I'm sweating with Sutton Foster. The three of us are up there. That was it. It's like, it doesn't get any better than this

It doesn't. No. And we're just, you know, we have, it's such a long number that we, you know, we have these

moments throughout where we just, you know, we look in and look at each other and check back in

And it's like, I get to check in with these amazing women. It so it great You know this is a show that has always sort of been on my radar Although I never really had you know I never really dove into it until now

You know, we've only had one week of rehearsal. So it's all still very new, but it's pretty exciting

I was talking to Asmorette. We were working on, Asmorette, Emily and I are working on

There's Gotta Be Something Better Than This. And we've been, Josh is working on the choreography

and at the end of the number, all three of us are extremely out of breath, but also on the verge of bursting into tears

because it's just sort of overwhelming and so exciting to be able to do these iconic numbers

and to sort of tell the story, especially in this way. Only 12 people in the cast

It's really cool. It's like a true ensemble of individuals, and it's been a really great process so far

I think it's the hardest thing that I've ever I think it's going to be the hardest thing I've ever done

because I've never really danced like this and Josh is really pushing me in a whole new direction

which is really terrifying but exciting and I feel equal parts like

this is going to be amazing and equal parts I'm never going to be able to do it

so I think that's kind of it's a scary place to live in

but also exciting because Gwen Verdon and Sheeta both told me it was the most terrifying role but the most

rewarding role to do a charity yeah oh that's good to hear okay good so I'm not alone I'm in

good company that's good to hear that's I mean I definitely feel that way I feel like I'm like

incredibly daunted but but in a good way but in a really good way you know I feel I those are

sort of the projects that are I'm that excite me the most are the ones that seem almost impossible